Some find more meaning in a Christmas without gifts

Kay, 15, left, and Ethiopia Wagner, 11, work together to make a kit. The Wagners put together 250-300 kits for homeless men that contain toiletries, socks and other necessities. The whole family goes to the Coalition for the Homeless on Christmas morning to hand out the kits and serve breakfast.(Photo: Charles King/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – On Christmas morning, when many people are unwrapping gifts, Jenny and Roddy Wagner and their 11 children will be serving breakfast and handing out bags of toiletries to men at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida.

Turned off by the commercialism of the season, the family decided several years ago to celebrate the holiday by consuming less and giving more.

"It's fun working together and serving," 9-year-old Iris Wagner said. "It makes me feel blessed to have a home and a family."

The Wagners are among a small number of families who reject conspicuous consumption in favor of a Christmas true to its original spirit. The shift has gained traction primarily among devout Christians who say advertisers have hijacked the holiday.

Years ago, Sue Rudolph of Winter Park got tired of piling gifts under her Christmas tree, only to see her children reject or break them before New Year's, when the bills were just starting to arrive.

"So much of it is not meaningful at all," said Rudolph, 70, who founded the Alternative Global Christmas Market at Winter Park Presbyterian Church more than two decades ago. "How many things do you get where you say, 'Oh, I'm going to have to put this out every year when they come over? How can I get rid of it?'"

The Alternative Global Christmas Market, held every November, sells goods made in developing countries, such as alpaca sweaters from Peru and olive oil from the Palestinian territories, and plants to aid reforestation in Guatemala.

"It's just a great alternative to being in the mall," said Rudolph, who has taught workshops nationwide on alternative Christmases. Her own family members send donations to a charity they choose every year instead of going overboard with presents for one another.

"It's almost a selfish thing because it's such a reward to be able to help somebody," she said.

Isaac Wagner, 3, right, tries to add a razor to a kit as brother Charlie, 11, seals it. The whole family goes to the Coalition for the Homeless on Christmas morning to hand out the kits and serve breakfast.(Photo: Charles King/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

Proponents say less trumps more.

A group called Buy Nothing Christmas, started by Canadian Mennonites, encourages people to step off the consumerist treadmill by giving homemade presents, such as toys or homegrown food, or passing on gently used items they no longer want.

Gerald Iversen, who runs the faith-based Simple Living Works! from his home in Paso Robles, Calif., said he started educating others about the pitfalls of unbridled shopping several decades ago after reading "Living More With Less" by Doris Longacre. He said he hopes downsizing Christmas will spur people to evaluate their lives year-round.

"For us, the point is: Don't let Christmas sell products," said Iversen, 66, who produces blogs, newsletters and a podcast as "chief activist" for Simple Living Works! "Be aware of how our buying and consumption patterns affect people around the world. Focus on relationships, not on stuff."

Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Orlando also has a Christmas Alternatives program. Members can choose from more than a dozen charities, including a group that stitches quilts for hospitalized children, a fund to provide clean well water for a school in Haiti and Heifer International, which buys livestock for impoverished families worldwide.

Contributions can be made on behalf of a friend or relative.

"You can give another tie to someone that has a closetful, or give a gift that will live on in their name for years to come," said Candy Vander Weide, who began the program 25 years ago and still runs it.

That's a lesson Jenny and Roddy Wagner are trying to teach their brood. Like others in the "buy-less" movement, they said they view loving and serving others a present to Jesus on his birthday.

Recently the family lined up around their dining-room table and filled plastic bags, assembly-line style, with toothpaste, shaving cream, a razor, soap, a comb, deodorant, shampoo, a washcloth and socks donated by friends, family and employees at a local company. They plan to tuck in holiday cards and have 300 kits ready by Christmas.

"I think sometimes it's hard to think about how much need there is, how much we already have," said Jenny Wagner, 40, who is expecting another child in June. "So instead of spending more money on ourselves, let's try to bless someone who actually needs something."